The third collaboration between Young and DaCosta (Nighttime Ninja
and Mighty Moby) tells the story of a lonely girl who finds an
unlikely friend in her elderly neighbor.
Each night kids have been creeping around and spray painting houses in
Tasha's neighborhood. Two days in a row, her neighbor Mrs. Lucy awakes
to find graffiti outside her home. Tasha helps her paint over it. They
discover that they are alike, except for their age, and become
inseparable. But who keeps defacing Mrs. Lucy's house? Ed Young's
inimitable cut-out art sensitively conveys the characters' emotions and
the drama of the story: as the truth is discovered, the houses become
multicolored, but the characters remain faceless. Then when the
miscreants are revealed, Tasha's and Mrs. Lucy's faces become visible. A
subtle expression of recognition on both.....This nuanced story shows
young readers that honesty and respect are the most important elements
for friendship. With Night Shadows Caldecott Medal-winner Ed Young's
oneiric illustrations and Barbara DaCosta's introspective narrative
jointly reproduce the intensity with which a child experiences solitude
and companionship.